


Deserter

by moonlit_wings



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons)
Genre: Backstory, Fear of Death, Fear of Mind Control, Gen, Gumm-Gumms (Tales of Arcadia), Short One Shot, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25744261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlit_wings/pseuds/moonlit_wings
Summary: A short piece exploring AAARRRGGHH's motivation for turning against Gunmar.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Deserter

**Author's Note:**

> Posted 24 hours before _Wizards_ ' scheduled release. AAARRRGGHH's actual backstory is expected to be explored there and I wanted to post this while it could still be canon-compliant.

Humans had an expression that went, "better the devil you know than the devil you don't."

In AAARRRGGHH's experience, it was the other way around. He had a considerably better life in Trollmarket, after taking a chance on the Trollhunter's mercy, than he would have if he'd stayed with Gunmar.

AAARRRGGHH would like his friends to believe he had turned against the Gumm-Gumms for noble reasons, but at the time, it had mostly been about personal survival.

It wasn't that he lied, exactly. AAARRRGGHH _didn't_ like the loud, shrill sounds of human fear, or having weapons clash against his hide, or the crumble of unliving stone under his fists that had, moments ago, been a troll (or part of one). But none of those were the turning point that drove him away.

It had, ultimately, been a lack of trust.

AAARRRGGHH had grown up in Gunmar's service. He knew his leader. After Gunmar usurped Orlagk and became the new Warlord, AAARRRGGHH realized he was in a dangerous position.

It was only a matter of time until Gunmar stopped prizing AAARRRGGHH's strength and brutality, and began to see him as a threat. A potential rival.

AAARRRGGHH was Gunmar's general, after all. Gunmar had been Orlagk's general, once.

AAARRRGGHH knew he would eventually lose his life or his mind to the Decimaar Blade.

He ran before that could happen.

He did his best not to look back.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it would be cool to have AAARRRGGHH leave Gunmar for the same reason Dictatious joined him in the novel _Welcome To The Darklands_ \- to avoid being killed or mind-controlled. I have a "100 words" version, but the original slightly longer piece gives a bit more nuance to AAARRRGGHH's character.


End file.
